Fire & Ice
by Niamh Cyneburg
Summary: He is calm, collected and likes his logic ice-cold. She is a conflagration of spontaneity and wild ideas. She adores noisy family events. He is wary of the heartache family could cause. Together they are as alike as Fire & Ice. HATM Sequel-Ryan & Michelle
1. This Broken Road

**A/N: **Ryan Wakeh, to me is an amazing character with a lot more depth than the others credit him with. He has had a slightly darker beginning, without a lot of the happy memories that the other wolves might take for granted. This has given him a little more of a realistic outlook on life. His imprinting on Michelle is proof that opposites attract. He is a quiet, serious boy; and she helps to cancel out his shy demeanor, without having to push him too hard.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Fire &amp; Ice<strong>

David Wakeh took a deep breath and leaned back against the cold tiles. The cold, white floors, and the vaguely harsh antiseptic smell of hospitals had always bothered him. Even the fact that he was here for what should have been a happy occasion didn't penetrate his grim thoughts.

He was a father.

He looked across the corridor, to the large nursery window, and picked out the small squashed face of his son. His son! Words that should have delighted any new father. But words that struck an icy chill in his own heart. He knew what he was, had always known. Since he was a child.

Having lost his own parents, he had been sent to live with his paternal grand-uncle, Levi Uley. Levi had been an old man by then, in mind if not in body. He had been 65, but looked about 40. Once he had arrived at his home, he had slowly been inducted into the ways of life on the La Push reservation. His parents had moved away just after he was born, to live in the city; with its bigger opportunities, and wider horizons for their son.  
>Seattle, the city that had offered them so much had also taken much more. It had killed them both; a mugging gone bad on a normal evening. Husband and wife had gone out for a walk after dinner, their young son asleep in his bed at home. They had never returned, the sleepy eyed child opening the door to a sympathetic police officer.<p>

The weeks that followed were a blur to the young boy,ending with him going to his uncle's in La Push. The family had been determined to keep the boy, making sure that he didn't slip into the morass of foster care. He smiled, remembering how his uncle had stormed into the office of whichever faceless official was deciding the boy's fate, and stated in no uncertain terms, that he was leaving and taking the child with him. He had clung to his uncle, his last remaining link to his parents. He had moved back to the place of his birth, and been absorbed by his grand-uncle's family like the much loved member he was.

For a few years, everything had been perfect, and then he remembered being taken to a campfire as a teenager, along with a few other boys of his age. His uncle (he had considered him more his uncle than his father's uncle by this point) had seemed strangely solemn this time. He and a few other boys had sat around the fire, listening as the elders told them the legends again, but this time there was a hint of something else.  
>It was like they were telling them the history of the tribe, fact instead of legend. He had looked across the fire at his cousin Joshua Uley, and noticed the same confusion in his eyes. Billy Black next to him seemed to tense when Ephraim, his own grandfather had risen and taken his place at the head of the circle. That was when he explained to the boys their heritage and the possibility of what they might become. The possibility that at some time in the future they would be called upon to protect their tribe, their families.<p>

The silence that had followed had stretched until Levi and Ephraim had nodded to each other and then at Quil Ateara, before rising and walking into the trees. The boys had heard a strange snapping sound, like twigs breaking, and then 2 gigantic wolves had rejoined the gathering.  
>The boys were too dumbstruck to panic, and Quil simply looked around at each of them before pointing out which wolf was which man. Both their muzzles were grizzled with age, and there was a slowness with which they walked. There was power, that was unmistakeable; but it was tempered by an unwillingness to unleash it.<p>

Rubbing his hands over his eyes, David dragged his mind back to the present as he gazed at his son. Ryan. That was the name his mother had insisted he have. Wrinkling his forehead, David wondered how he could have gotten involved with a woman who was so far from everything he had ever wanted. He put it down to momentary insanity. Once they had realized that their one-time tryst had caused far-reaching consequences, David had insisted they marry.  
>He had to protect his child.<br>At all costs.  
>Mary couldn't have cared less. She had kept her maiden name, something unheard of among their circles, but she had allowed their child to carry his father's name, but only if she got to call him whatever she wanted for a first name. His lips quirked in a smile as he watched the tiny mouth twitch in a small yawn.<p>

The little arms struggled against the binding for a second, before settling down, shiny black eyes blinking open momentarily. A small wiggle later, the little boy seemed content to fall back to sleep.

David sighed, and pushed himself off the wall, striding back down the corridor, back to the room where the woman he called wife, was lying. Recovering. He wished things had been different, that he had known what she would be like when he wasn't looking at her in a an alcohol fuelled haze. He would stick by her though, make sure that his son had everything he could ever want. He was only 6 hours old, but he felt like he had loved that little boy for much longer than that. He wondered what he would say to him when it was time to tell him all about his past, his history; his heritage. Whatever he said, he knew his son would be as proud of his inheritance as he had been. He would hear the stories from the time he was old enough to understand; he would hear them from his father.

Finally, a huge grin split his face. He was a father!

The joy that usually accompanied the birth of one's first offspring finally flooded through him.

It stayed with him as he left the hospital, got in his car to drive away. He never saw the oil-slick on the road ahead; he never saw the truck that hit him. When David Wakeh died, he was happy, still basking in the joy of his son, and how much he loved him.

Ryan Wakeh would long wonder how different his life would have been if his father had lived.

As it was, the tiny child in the nursery bassinet disturbed and let out a loud wail, powerful for someone so small. It took the nurse more than the usual amount of time to calm the infant, who cried himself to sleep in a stranger's arms.

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><p>He grew up in La Push, living with his mother, in the house his father had left them, and where he learned from an early age, that taking care of himself would be better than asking his mother for anything. She loved him, he knew, but not in the way his friend's parents loved their sons. She took care of him, made sure he had meals to eat and things he needed, but he couldn't remember sitting down at the kitchen table to eat, like Sue Clearwater insisted when he was there around dinner time. She didn't fuss over him if he picked up the sniffles, like Hannah Jameson did, much to Collin and Brady's exasperation.<p>

He had friends, Seth Clearwater and the Jameson boys were even in his class at the Reservation school. But he held himself a little further away from the rest of the children, he always had. It was just the way he was.

All his life, he had felt that something was missing, like there was something he should remember. He thought that the feeling would leave when he phased, but it still lingered, a small kernel of knowledge in the back of his head. Time went by and although he had been absorbed into the pack, found a family, he still felt isolated. The unmentioned rift between him and his mother had only grown with the years, and once she had come to realize that her son was eminently capable of taking care of himself, she seemed to retreat further into her own world.  
>There were times when he didn't see her for days. He knew she didn't mean to be cold to him; that was just the way it was, the way she was made. On some level she loved her son, but she had never been meant for motherhood.<p>

He remembered the night Seth had imprinted, and he sometimes laughed to himself at his expression when he had watched her jump off the cliff. It had become a great source of amusement to the twins, who enjoyed laughing about it whenever they could. He grew fond of Kaia Reynolds, saw her as someone who was as interested in school as he was. Someone who could talk to him about their home-work without cringing or begging to borrow notes.

She seemed to drag him out of the isolation he sometimes slipped into. Growing up without his father around had prevented him from forming a close enough bond with the rest of his family; he had no one to confide in, no one he could really turn to for advice. Sam was his alpha as well as some kind of distant cousin, but he would have felt uncomfortable asking him for personal advice. Imprinting was something he had never really fully understood. He got that it meant an instant connection, but he couldn't understand how the imprints themselves could feel something when a wolf imprinted on them.  
>All of it seemed to confuse him, but at the moment he let it slide.<p>

The twin's and Kaia's birthday was coming up and most of the pack's energies were devoted to avoiding Rachel Black in case she gave them things to do in preparation. As the days counted down, Ryan seemed to feel that small kernel in his brain get closer to popping than ever before. More perceptive than the others, he knew it meant something was coming.  
>Something big.<br>He didn't know what, but it would be soon.

Ryan Wakeh's life was about to change drastically.

Again.

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><p><strong>AN: **And there you have it folks, Chapter 1 of Fire & Ice. Let me know what you think !

Loves

Niamh


	2. At First Sight

**A/N: **Chapter 2 is here, even though the first one didn't get as many reviews as I like. I'm looking at the traffic and quite a few people are reading it. Take a minute to review please?

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><p>Ryan had been uncomfortable all afternoon. He couldn't really put his finger on it. There was no real reason; no concrete cause. Collin had snuck up behind him at lunch that afternoon, and he had nearly phased in the middle of the cafeteria in anger. The other boys had looked at him worriedly and Seth had automatically placed himself between Kaia and Ryan when they joined the table. He managed to be civil enough when he asked Kaia how her birthday had been going so far.<p>

Kaia had sensed something off about him and teasingly asked if he was PMS-ing. He had managed to laugh it off and left the table as quickly as he could. Thankfully with a home situation like the one he had, the boys were content to leave him alone, knowing he would sort out whatever he had a problem with.  
>Long ago, just around the time they all phased, Ryan realized that the pack mind meant the others could easily read his emotions concerning his mother, his despair at losing his father when he had only been a few hours old, and his overwhelming jealousy that they all had the kind of families he would have killed to have. Despite the fights, despite the disagreements, he could see the underlying love for each of them in the others' minds.<p>

He felt belittled somehow.  
>What was wrong with him that his mother couldn't love him the way Sarah Black had loved her son? The way Hannah Jameson had stood by hers, even when they had phased before her very eyes.<p>

Each of them had more of a family than he had. After leaving the school grounds, he took off for the cliffs, still running as human. He knew if he phased right now, Paul and Jared would be running patrol and the last thing he wanted was for either of them to know how he felt.  
>Being in his pack, they could easily have figured out the direction of his thoughts. Once he reached the spot they usually went cliff-diving from, he sat at the edge and tried to calm his troubled mind.<p>

Much later, feeling much better, he rose and made his way home. He knew Kaia would be amused at his choice of costume, if nobody else. He had found an old police hat in the thrift shop some time before and he had saved it for some reason. Dressing in his usual clothes, he paused at the door and slapped the hat down on his head. Racing to the beach, he entered the tent and was immediately assailed by the same discomfort that had hit him earlier. Grimacing, he gritted his teeth and, determined not to ruin the party atmosphere, marched over to where the twins were standing.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" demanded Collin as soon as he reached them.  
>"I'm a plain clothes cop, man," he grinned back at the bemused faces.<br>"Not bad at all," guffawed Seth from where he came up behind them. Ryan gaped at him, Seth Clearwater had gone all out; he was dressed as Zorro, black cape and all.  
>"I am soooo confused here," muttered Brady, before scowling at his twin. "Brilliant costume idea of yours, dumbass."<br>Collin gave him a mock scowl in turn before laughing and turning so that the others could get a full view of his costume, "What the hell are you?" asked Seth.

Collin was covered in fake blood that looked like it had soaked through his clothes as well. Brady was covered in different cartons of breakfast cereal. He too had a lot of fake blood around him.  
>"Oh no... are you guys... are you serious?" Ryan burst out laughing.<br>"Wha ?" Seth said, looking from on to the other, still looking confused.  
>Ryan was by now almost breathless with laughter at the ridiculous idea that could only have been Collin's.<p>

"Yeah, cereal killer and his victim," said Brady with a morose tone. Collin just grinned blindingly at the rest of them, before saying "Cereal killer - Serial killer, get it?"  
>Seth just stared at them both and then looked at Brady sympathetically. "Lost a bet didn't you?"<br>"No shit Sherlock." came the twin's favorite rejoinder to dumb questions.

Ryan's laughter had died down already, that earlier feeling coming back so much quicker than before. Suddenly Seth looked towards the entrance of the tent, where Kaia Reynolds looked like a Greek Goddess. Struck dumb by her appearance, Seth seemed torn between going up to her, and acting like he was 5 and running away.

Ryan couldn't help a snigger at his expense, while the twins alternated between laughing and staring at her. Only when she came right up to them did Ryan realize that Seth had disappeared and then he couldn't help bursting into laughter, because the motif she had painted on her papier-maiche jewellery on her arm, was the one for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt. She stared at him with an amused expression, "What's so funny you?" she demanded.

"You're supposed to be Artemis right?" and he continued when she nodded in affirmation, "you know she was also Goddess of the wild animals right? In fact one of the animals on her crest is like wolves... "  
>The twins were already laughing at this point and she stuck her tongue out at them, and then mock growled, "I like wolves, they're freaking awesome."<p>

Not even seeing the surprised look on their faces she flounced off to where Kim was standing over to one side, in some fancy belly-dancer looking costume, next to an extremely fed up looking Jared. He might have been an imprinted wolf, but even they had some self-respect left. No grown man wanted to look like a character from an animated romance.  
>Having been forced to be Aladdin to match Kim's Jasmine, he was content to sulk in the corner, while Kim laughingly attempted to cajole him out of his funk to join her on the dance floor. A few smiles and eyelash-flutters later and he succumbed, following her with a goofy grin, that lasted only until Collin cat-called at him from across the tent. Scowling now, he only lightened up when Kim wrapped her arms around him and smiled up at him again.<p>

Normally the sight of one of his brothers with his imprint didn't bother Ryan. The most it ever affected him was a vague wondering why he hadn't imprinted yet. But this time it was like a red hot ripple of rage that ran through him. It shocked him to his core. Rattled himself by the sudden emotion, he ducked out of the tent, and stood on the beach, breathing deeply. Once he was almost calm again he turned to go back inside and spotted Collin watching him with a troubled expression. Nodding to show that he was ok, he lingered near the back, talking to Brady and Collin, when Seth came back to the tent, holding hands with Kaia. Seeing how pleased they both looked with themselves, it didn't take a genius to guess that Seth had finally asked her out.

Ryan smiled at Seth and was about to start ragging on him when it hit him.

He felt it like a physical blow; but nobody around him had moved.  
>He couldn't breath.<br>It was like all the oxygen around him had been sucked away. He struggled to take a breath, but it seemed to elude him. He wanted to scream, wanted his brothers to realize that he was choking - they needed to get help. How long were they going to ignore him? That was when he realized that barely a second had passed.  
>He struggled against the panic that had overtaken him, trying to figure out why this was happening.<p>

Why couldn't he breathe dammit?

Slowly he felt it easing, but his head snapped up at the sudden sound of car doors slamming outside. Someone was here? Was that why he was reacting this way?  
>The lights went out right then, and he tensed; so did the twins, but then he noticed Rachel at the other side of the tent directing Paul with a really big cake. Ahh, surprise birthday; he got that, but the rest of the thought disappeared before it could be completed.<p>

Why on earth could he smell cinnamon? He hadn't caught the smell before... and it definitely wasn't coming from the cake.  
>So where was it coming from?<p>

That was the precise moment when the tent flap moved and the cutest red-head he had ever laid eyes on walked in, followed immediately by the Jamesons and a good-looking couple who definitely had to be the red-head's parents. He had enough time to notice her costume was an old-school gangster, with the fedora and pin-stripes included, and then the lights came back on.

She squealed and hugged an equally loud Kaia, and then she looked up; right across the tent.  
>Right at him.<p>

Damn!

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm actually very upset that this story seems to not be getting as many reviews as "Howling At The Moon" even though the characters are the same.

If you guys don't like it as much, could you please post a review telling me why? Or what you think would make it a better story?  
>That way I can really work on improving it.<br>I won't be posting the next chapter until the previous one has at least 5 reviews, because I don't want to write a story if no one is reading it. :(


	3. Where We Were

**A/N: **The way I view imprinting is the same way I look at other relationships in life. No one-sided love will ever make it all the way. The imprints feel the connection their respective wolves have to them and this is what draws them to learn more about each other. Its not like love at first sight, but more of a connection that grows into love along the way. Michelle and Ryan are figments of my own imagination so I think its easier for me to thrash out what I think it might be like for them, than for characters that have already shown up before. Don't forget to review!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Where We Were Always Supposed To Be<strong>

Michelle Morgan sat in front of the mirror in her room in the Forks Motel. It was a comfortable little place. Small, but cozy and very comfortable. She was glad that they were staying here and not in the hotel in Port Angeles, like they had when they came to drop off Kaia. Even though the hotel itself had been pretty nice, she would probably always associate it with feelings of separation.

Huffing at how wild her hair looked, she grumbled to herself, wondering why she kept it as long as she did... Oh yeah, she liked it that way.

Kaia often laughed at her love-hate relationship with her hair. It was long, almost waist-length, and wildly curly. Even though both her parents had dark hair, Michelle's was a bright red, a throwback to her Irish grand-mother who had the red hair and green eyes made popular by Irish literature over the years.  
>While there were days when Michelle loved the rich color, there was never a day when she didn't grumble about the way it seemed to have a life of its own. If it wanted to be curly, then it would be curly. If it wanted to look fabulous, then it would. But its wishes seemed to always be in inverse proportion to how Michelle would have liked it to be.<p>

Finally she decided to give up attempting to style it and just went ahead and took a shower. Once she was done, she wrapped her hair in a towel and went about getting ready, deciding that she would ignore her hair until the last minute and maybe then it would have no choice but to co-operate. Pulling out the pin-stripe pant suit that had once been her mother Laura's, Michelle grinned to herself as she dressed.  
>She was going to a surprise party for her best friend!<p>

She was actually going to see her after so long. She missed her, there was no doubt. There was a little bubble of anticipation in her chest after all the secret planning and plotting she had done with Rachel Black over the past couple of weeks. Adding suspenders to her pants, Michelle adjusted her white shirt enough to add a little panache to the outfit. Standing in front of her mirror once more, she unwrapped the towel and prepared to do battle. 30 seconds later she was still standing there and staring at her hair when her mother walked into the room and said, "Darling, you look gorgeous. And your hair! You must have spent hours on it"

A dumbstruck teenager just nodded back at her mother as she took in her costume. "Yeah mom... a really long time..." she mumbled as she ran her fingers through her damp hair.  
>"Did you really have to go as a witch again?" she asked, "You've been one for so long, more than a few years now."<p>

"Yes I do... You know I only bother dressing up because you and your father would disown me if I didn't... now hurry up, lets get going..."

Grabbing the fedora that completed her outfit, Michelle rushed out after her parents, climbing in the back seat of the car, just as her father began playfully grumbling about how they were going to miss the party because they were so late. Laughing at their indignant shrieking that they were actually early, they chatted back and forth while Michelle bounced in excitement in the back-seat.

The sense of anticipation was growing and she knew this was going to be a big night. As they pulled into the small parking lot that lead to the beach, they could see the huge tent Rachel had arranged on Alex Morgan's instructions. Sneaking around, so that they would enter from the side, her mother clutched her hand and grinned as the lights went out. They walked into the tent along with another couple who Rachel had said would be there. Their twin sons shared the same birthday as well.

Making sure they were standing exactly where Kaia would be able to see them, the Morgans waited breathlessly for the lights to come on.

Michelle had the strangest sensation that someone was watching her. It wasn't the kind of feeling that creeped her out; it didn't feel menacing. Instead it sent a little thrill through her. Like the feeling one got when you were walking down the corridor at school, and you knew you were just about to catch sight of your crush. It was too dark inside for her to see anything though and just then, the lights came back on. Kaia spotted her and Michelle burst out laughing at the shocked expression on her face. And then Kaia was across the room, jumping on her and screaming fit to split ear-drums.  
>She couldn't help but join in amongst the teasing from the boys as she saw that her best friend was close to tears. Still hugging, she felt compelled to look up, and right across the tent, a dark eyed, tousle-haired boy was staring at her; like he had just caught sight of the sun.<p>

She felt a small electric jolt in her skin as she turned away and began to chatter with Kaia about the trip up and how they had managed to keep the surprise from her.

It was a while later when she was chatting with Kaia and the boyfriend she had apparently just acquired, Seth, when she felt that same tingle again. She looked up and saw the same boy across the tent; he was talking to someone but watching her at the same time. She was a little confused by how she felt when looking at him. She thought he looked a little lost, but he watched her like his life depended on it.  
>She was just about to ask who he was, when he suddenly scowled and glared at a couple of boys who were standing a little way away from where she was with Kaia and Seth. Turning back to them, she noticed Seth had an ugly look on his face as well, and he was watching the same 2 boys.<p>

Before she could comment, she watched Seth move past Kaia and head to the now-stricken looking boys. The mystery boy had reached them at the same time. She idly noted that Seth and the boy with the tousled hair and cop hat, seemed to tower over the other two. "Who is that?" she asked Kaia nonchalantly; however, nothing escaped her friend. Kaia simply grinned and whispered, "Ryan." She repeated his name to herself under her breath, thinking that it fit him somehow.  
>As she did however, his head whipped around as if they had called his name out loud.<p>

She smiled a little at him and went back to talking to Kaia. What she didn't notice was her father watching Ryan and Seth with great interest from his hidden spot behind one of the drapes. He didn't know that the young shape-shifters could smell him there, but he could hear them clearly enough. The two boys Seth and Ryan had approached went to their high school, were in some classes with them as well. However, neither of them had ever seen either one of them in such a mood.  
>Seth was annoyed, but Ryan looked downright murderous.<p>

Seconds before Ryan had stalked over to them, intent on some physical damage, the two interlopers had made the grave mistake of remarking on Michelle Morgan's rear end, in very complimentary terms, but out loud. Loud enough for a shape-shifter with supernatural hearing, to know what they said.  
>Loud enough for an imprinted wolf, to want to rip someone's throat out.<br>Alex Morgan had been about to accost the two commentators, when Ryan had reached them and proceeded to explain exactly how he was going to hurt the two if they so much as looked at any other female at that party. He then told them that they had 30 seconds to leave before he changed his mind.

Once they had left, Ryan seemed to require a couple of deep breaths before he could speak normally. Seth said nothing, simply standing by, knowing that it distressed the other boy to have no official claim over his imprint. Seth was lucky. At least if anyone said anything now he could claim the right of boyfriend to want to kill them. "Did you hear that?" Ryan finally muttered.  
>"Yeah man, I did. I might have lost it if he had been talking about Kai," came Seth's reply.<br>"I'm going to take a walk, I need to calm down," Ryan said before ducking out the tent flap and disappearing. Seth said nothing, but just nodded at Alex Morgan when he passed him on his way back to where he had left the girls.

When Ryan made his reappearance about half an hour later, Kaia barely gave him a chance to clear the entry-way before she pounced on him and dragged him over to a blushing Michelle to be introduced.

Before the night was over, he had at least worked up enough courage to ask her to dance. But mostly, he tagged along when she flitted around the tent, absorbing everything he could about her, and wondering idly if he would have been able to keep up with her if he didn't have superhuman stamina.  
>She seemed like a tiny, pocket-sized, whirlwind with red hair. She took his natural shyness in stride and chatted enough for the both of them, and yet somehow by the end of the evening, she had managed to wrangle his middle name, Daniel; his favorite subject at school, Chemistry; and his favorite football team, the New York Giants. He had no idea how she had gone from middle names to Chemistry Lab malfunctions, but she seemed to do it with such flair that he couldn't help but just go along.<p>

But it was when they stepped onto the make-shift dance-floor that he understood what his brothers meant, when they said it felt right.  
>Holding her was what felt right.<br>She was average height, but she seemed so tiny against his huge frame; her hands were practically lost in his large ones. And yet he knew she had power over him that no one had ever had, or would ever have again. He wondered in the back of his mind, if his alpha gave him an order, and she asked him not to do the same thing, which way he would be able to go.

When she left with Kaia, being driven back by Rachel and Paul, he had been so tempted to join them, but he knew that would freak her out. Instead, the second they had left, he raced through the trees and got to the Black house before they did. Standing back behind the tree line, he watched as they got out of the car, and walked into the house, with only Paul's grin at the trees telling him that someone knew he was there.

Quickly stripping, he phased and then crept to underneath Kaia's window, knowing that the two of them were in there. He heard them laughing and then Kaia said, "Well, so what did you talk about?"

"A lot of different stuff, he seems so shy... I've never met a cute guy who was so shy. They usually have egos the size of Texas...he's just... I don't know, different?"

Kaia laughed, "You like him!" before the two of them burst into giggles.  
>Ryan would have killed anyone who interrupted this conversation. He was learning more about the girl who held his heart. "I don't know if I like him yet, but I definitely feel.. something," she murmured dreamily.<p>

"I'm pretty sure he feels something too, Ryan usually takes forever before he even talks to someone new."

"Hmmm.. Night Kiki, love you."  
>"Night Michelin, love you too" was followed by the even breathing of a deep sleep.<p>

Ryan sighed to himself and slowly walked to the trees. Once he was under cover, he raced home and phased back, before going in and collapsing on his bad. It would be hours before he fell asleep, and it was only to disturbing dreams of his imprint in danger. Having already lost so much in his young life, his subconscious acknowledged the terror he felt of losing her as well.

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><p><strong>AN: **I'm not sure if the lack of reviews is because you guys don't like the story or because no one even knows its up here.  
>PLEASE REVIEW !<p>

Loves

Niamh


	4. Saving Me

**A/N**: For those of you, who have read my other story, "Howling At The Moon," you will probably recognize a lot of this chapter, but I had to use some of it to further illustrate the relationship between Ryan and Michelle. A necessary evil, I swear. Thanks for not flaming me for it. Hope you likes.

Sorry for the long long break, real life has an annoying way if intruding. Review if you missed me :)

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><p>It was another foggy morning in La Push. The red-head walking in front of him turned her head slightly and smiled; continuing down the path she seemed to know intimately. He didn't care where exactly he was being led to, just as long as she was holding his hand. As long as he could feel the softness of her grip, all would be well with his world. He could see the opening in the trees ahead which meant they were at the beach already, and this puzzled him just a little; he could have sworn they needed to walk at least another 5 minutes before the beach hit them. Something was wrong here. Her gentle leading had turned into an urgent tugging on his hand. Towards the strange opening.<p>

This was wrong.

Something was horrifically wrong with this picture. He knew it. Could feel it deep in his bones. A twig snapped, but her normal human hearing hadn't picked up on it. And then he smelled it. That sickly sweet burning, like bleach, that seared his nose and his throat. Terrified now, he grabbed her hand to take her back to the others.  
>To safety.<br>He needed to phase, get his brothers, hunt down the abomination that was hunting them now. But she kept tugging; he couldn't explain to her, with such little time to do it, and he couldn't just phase in front of her with no warning, who knew what the shock would do?

In desperation, he tried to stop her, knowing that whichever one of his brothers on patrol would pick up the scent soon enough, and he could defend her until then – shock be damned. Letting go of her hand for a second, he pulled off his shirt, ignoring the quizzical look she shot him, preparing to phase at a moment's notice. As she opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, he noticed a rustling in the bushes. Immediately stepping in front of her, in a protective crouch, he spotted the blood red eyes of his worst enemy.

The owner of the eyes stepped into the pathway then, grinning like a maniac. He reached for the girl, ignoring the shape-shifter's presence. A terrified look on her face, she called out her companion's name, screaming it when the cold one's hand crushed her upper arm. The shape-shifter in question was frozen. Not with shock, not with fear, but just frozen.  
>Horror and fear for his imprint crashed over him in waves, powerful enough to drown even the strongest shape-shifter the tribe had known. But he could do nothing. He wondered if this was the vampire's power; he knew some of them were gifted. But if he could at least phase, then someone would know what was happening. He tried with all his might to call on that core within himself that would trigger the transformation.<p>

But nothing happened. All he could do was watch in impotent rage and terror, as the evil red eyes got closer to his now whimpering imprint. Her screams were muted now, her throat hoarse, clutching her arm in pain. Red met black for a second, then stony ice cold white lips descended to the exposed throat of the helpless girl in the marble like arms. She went back to screaming his name, over and over and over again. In her fear, her voice even sounded different, much hoarser, much deeper. He started to shake, but not the kind that led to phasing, this was different, like an outside force was holding him and heaving.

"Ryan… Ryan dude, come on man. RYAN !," and with that he jumped up, ready to phase and attack immediately. Only to see the inside of his messy room and a worried Seth, flanked by a set of identical and identically disturbed faces. "What… what are you guys doing here? Whats going on? Where's Michelle? Is she ok? For Christ's sake, will someone tell me what the fuck that was?" He was practically screaming the last sentence, and Seth could only thank the spirits that Ryan's mother had already left for work.  
>"Dude, calm down. She's fine. I swear. She really is." Brady soothed, while Collin just looked on, wide-eyed.<p>

Ryan sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands and tried to breathe. The realization that his terror was only the result of a nightmare, was slowly allowing the tension to ease out of his limbs.  
>"Bad dream?," Seth asked, tentatively. Ryan shook his head in response. "More than just a nightmare man, it was like…. It was like it was so real. I could feel it. The helplessness. The smell of them, how scared she was. God! She was terrified and I was frozen. I couldn't save her... I couldn't even save her." He ran his hands over his face, and the fear was still in his eyes.<br>"The most important thing in my universe and I couldn't get her away from the ONE thing I am sworn to protect her from." The others said nothing, allowing their brother to shake off the dream in silence.

Ryan's mind was just one huge jumble of terror, pain and confusion. He hadn't even been imprinted for 24 hours and the spirits were taunting him with what it might be like to lose her? Rage started to cloud his mind then... Hadn't he lost enough? His father had been taken when he was only hours old, his mother had never really been his to keep... not really.  
>Even his distant relatives hadn't been as close to him as they could have been. The one sense of family he had was the pack, and imprinting was tied to the pack. Tied to being a protector of the tribe. He could feel the rage and frustration from his dream start to build up again, and he had to struggle not to phase in the middle of his room.<p>

Trying to focus on his pack brothers in front of him, he only started paying attention when Colin mentioned going to hang out with Kaia that day... His befuddled brain took a few seconds to connect the dots. Kaia. Michelle. Hanging out with Kai that day, meant he got to be in close proximity with his imprint.  
>Ignoring the conversation that was still going on around him, he darted out of his room to shower and change, catching a bark of laughter before his room door shut behind him.<p>

The rest of the day, he found it difficult to focus on his surroundings, or what the others were saying. It was a constant battle not to stare outright at the little redhead who owned his soul completely. He had already noticed Kaia's surprise that he had joined them on her 'tour' of the reservation.  
>Seth had been kind enough to tip him off a little later, that Kaia seemed to have since decided her new project was all about matchmaking. He grinned to himself, knowing she would probably sulk when she realized that she'd been beaten to the punch.<p>

Smirking a little, Kaia dragged them all outside to start showing Michelle around, somehow making sure that Ryan was close at hand. Remembering her talk with Michelle earlier that morning, she had a feeling this birthday visit was going to have some long lasting effects. And from what she could see in the dark eyes of the boy who was gazing at her best friend, they would be worth it.

Ryan, Collin, Brady, Seth, Kaia and Michelle were inseparable for the entire weekend, much to everyone else's amusement. While the twins welcomed her with open arms, recognizing a fellow trouble-maker when they saw one, Seth and Ryan seemed to take their roles of protectors very seriously, to the general amusement of everyone else. Especially when the twins suggested cliff-diving, again.

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had come to the reservation on Saturday evening to have dinner with Rachel and Billy. Neither one failed to notice the star-struck expression on the face of the boy who couldn't stay more than 5 feet away from their daughter at all times.

Sitting on the porch and chatting, the hours simply sped by, so they were surprised at the time, when Collin came up the few stairs to make an amusing announcement. "The fair maidens yonder have both succumbed to sweet slumber," he proclaimed imperiously.

"Also, they snore pretty bad. Now what are we supposed to do with them? Car, Cliff, or Bed?" he asked a laughing Rachel.  
>"I think we could let Michelle stay here again tonight, if you don't mind Rachel, since we are going back tomorrow evening." Mrs. Morgan missed the suddenly stricken look of the boy whose shoulder Michelle was using for a pillow.<br>Rachel didn't.  
>"Sure Mrs. Morgan," she murmured. "Don't wake them," she added, "the boys will carry them in, they do that for Kaia sometimes, she seems to do this falling asleep thing pretty often."<p>

Taking that as their cue, Seth gently lifted Kaia into what was fast becoming a familiar position, carrying her bridal style into the house, and depositing her on her bed, slipping off her converse shoes while he did so. Ryan looked warily at Mr. Morgan before moving his shoulder from under Michelle's head, and pulling her into his arms.  
>He was momentarily stunned at the feeling of rightness that crashed over him as she snuggled closer to him. Holding her like this was the closest he had come to any physical contact with her, apart from a few electrically charged brushes of their hands during the day.<br>Clutching her to his chest, he followed in the same direction as Seth, missing the knowing smile that Mrs. Morgan sent at her husband. Placing her on the spare mattress that Rachel had put out, he tenderly moved a lock of hair that had fallen over her face, before realizing what he had done, and then he hurried out of the room, stopping only to gently place a soft blanket over her sleeping form.

The next day, Ryan was at Seth's house at dawn, shaking his pack-brother awake in a daze. "Dude, I know you imprinted, but seriously, its 5 o clock in the freaking morning…. And why are you wearing yesterday's clothes?" questioned a sleepy Seth. "I…. I spent the night under their window. After that dream I had… I just.. . I couldn't just leave her unprotected," he muttered defensively.  
>Seth just grinned at him, and replied, "She's your imprint man, I get it. Now why the hell am I awake this early?" At this question Ryan looked stricken. "She leaves today Seth. She is going back to Seattle and I have no idea when I'm going to be able to see her again."<p>

Now grim, Seth looked at his brother's anguished expression and clapped him on the back. "Go take a shower, Leah will be back from patrol soon, so get out of the bathroom before she gets back. Then you can wear some of my clothes and we can go wake them up. Ok?"  
>"Deal," mumbled Ryan, stumbling off down the hallway.<p>

About 15 minutes later, Seth was given the slightly suicidal task of waking up his imprint way to early for her liking. After knocking on her window and being let in, Ryan could barely concentrate on Seth and Kaia's concentration. The only thing filling his mind was the scent of his imprint, fresh in the room, and the empty bed where Michelle had definitely spent the night.

After hugging Kaia, Seth turned to Ryan and whatever it was that he wanted to say remained unsaid as he caught sight of Ryan's face.  
>Puzzled and concerned.<br>Only then did he notice what he was looking at. The empty spare mattress next to Kaia's bed.  
>No Michelle.<br>Just blankets, neatly folded, and the pillow placed on top of them.

Before anyone could say a word, the door opened and a figure garbed in an oversized sweatshirt, and not much more, tip-toed in. "Oopsie?" came her surprised half question. Ryan was struck absolutely speechless. He had been outside the window all night and the half an hour he was away, she had woken up, snuck out of the room, taken a shower and was currently standing in front of him wearing his sweatshirt, which she had borrowed the previous night, and a towel around her head.  
>He was ready to swear that his head was about to explode from sensory overload. A nervous giggle interrupted his staring and he flushed. "We knew you were leaving today, so we thought we would make the most of it today," he heard Seth explain to Kaia. "How does breakfast at the diner sound?"<p>

"Seth, I can see my clock from her… if its really 5:42 in the morning; you are going to feel some pain."  
>"Do I look like I want to be awake this early? Blame the morning person here," he replied, pointing to Ryan. He barely had a chance to get in a retort of his own, before Michelle swung to face him and exclaimed, "Oh yaaaaay… I always get stuck with Grumpy here, she hates early mornings." She linked arms with him, ignoring the fact that her bare legs were giving him thought processes he didn't want to have, at least at this point. "So what's the plan boys?"<br>Ryan didn't really care what the plan might be, but he had a strange feeling he was going to turn into someone who loved mornings.

That evening, Kaia and Michelle hugged for what seemed like hours, before Mr. and Mrs. Morgan took their turn. They all piled into the truck, for the long drive back to Seattle. Ryan had stuck around for the farewell as well, and neither of the senior Morgans seemed surprised.  
>As they pulled out of the driveway, Ryan strained to watch them until they were out of the sight, then quietly snuck to the back of the house, where he phased and raced towards the highway. The others still standing in the driveway, heard an agonized howl in the distance, and the pack knew that their brother was going to be spending the night in Seattle.<p>

Racing through the underbrush, Ryan had a grim feeling that this long-distance thing was not going to work much at all. Thankfully, his brothers would have his back.  
>Like always.<p>

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>  
>I promise the next chapter will be up in a week or so, since I seem to have gotten over my writer's block and real life has been put on the back burner :D<br>Love and cookies for reviews!


	5. So Far Away

A Week Later

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><p>"So..." Kaia began with a smirk that did not bode well for Ryan. "So?" he prompted, knowing it was better to let her say whatever it was she wanted to, before...<p>

"So what, Kai?" bounced an inquisitive Collin. "Too late," muttered Ryan to himself.

Wearing an evil grin, Kaia proceeded to let a very large cat out of the bag, "Oh nothing, I was just wondering how Michelle was doing."  
>"Oh? And how would Ryan know about this?" Collin replied with a grin that said he was playing along with Kai's silliness.<br>"Of course he'd know, they did exchange numbers and all that."

"You DID?" Collin demanded exaggeratedly, "Ryan, you sly dog you," winking at his little inside joke, while his twin and Ryan just rolled their eyes. The ribbing didn't end that quickly though, to Ryan's annoyance. Collin and Kaia took it upon themselves to harass him all through Science, and made him eat his lunch the fastest he ever had, before bolting from the table and hiding from all of them until school got out.

He couldn't help but grin to himself as he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket as he walked home. Flipping it open as fast as he could, he read, "I'm ALIVE! School's out for the weekend and I can sleep all thru it. Hi btw :)"  
>The smile never left his face as he continued texting her back all the way home. His supernatural senses could have been the only thing keeping him alive right then, since he didn't seem to be paying attention to anything resembling vehicular traffic or street signs.<p>

* * *

><p>He chuckled to himself as he remembered how nervous he had been when he had asked her for her number. They had just finished breakfast at the Diner on the Sunday after the Halloweenbirthday party, and Kaia had dragged Seth off to pick up cookies at the little counter there.

Chocolate chip, doubled dipped cookies were a sure fire way to Kaia's heart, as he had since discovered.

He had been trembling inside. He had never had to go the whole, 'Can I have your number route?' with a girl before, they either offered him theirs, or he just didn't care enough.

To have to do this the first time over, with not just 'a' girl, but 'the' girl was nerve-wracking to say the least.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to man up and ask. Michelle had just seemed slightly amused at his mumbled, "Couihavyonummer?" and she had quirked an eyebrow before asking him, "I'm sorry, what?" with a twinkle in her eye that told him she knew exactly what he meant. Recognizing that she was teasing, he gave her a small half-smile and asked again, slower this time.  
>"Could I have your number?"<br>"Sure," she replied, and then, with a mischievous grin, added, "I already have yours."

He gaped at this revelation, only to have her grin even wider, and as she finished the last of her milkshake, "Kai thought I should have it, she put it in my phone earlier."

At that point, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to hug Seth's imprint/girlfriend, or grumble in frustration that she seemed to have picked up on his fascination with the red-head.

Rolling his eyes, he handed over his phone so she could punch in her number, and he was sure his service provider sent up a 'Hallelujah' chorus at that. The texts had been flying back and forth since then, and it had been the only thing keeping him sane after she left La Push to return to Seattle.  
>He had phased as they left the reservation, running all the way there, following the highway, and then using that pull he felt towards his imprint, to finally find their house.<p>

Lying in the sparse trees that bordered their suburban residence, he sent up a silent thanks, to whoever was listening, that there was no moon that night. This way, there was a lot less chance of him being seen.

Settling down under a bush, he trained his eyes on a Bay Window, knowing somehow, that it was to her room.

His heart finally seemed to settle down a little, and a split second before he could actively wonder why this was so, the light to the room he faced flipped on, and he heard the sounds of a door opening and then closing. A muffled thump that he knew was a bag dropping on the floor, was followed by a softer sound that he immediately recognized as someone throwing themselves on their bed.

He smiled to himself, knowing she was probably exhausted. Realizing that he was too far out of range of the mind-link, he phased back and pulled his phone out of the little pouch he carried with his clothes. Turning it on, he was surprised when it began to vibrate in his hand. He quickly sent Sam a text letting them know he was in Seattle and would be getting back in time for school. He got a reply almost immediately saying that Brady was covering his patrol.

Feeling a burst of thanks that they had his back, he scrolled back to the messages he had obviously received while on his way to Seattle. There were 4 from Kaia, and 2 from Michelle already. He blinked before eagerly opening them, dying to know what she had to say.

One was a quick goodbye that she had obviously sent to all of them, saying how much fun she had had at the weekend, and that she would be visiting again soon. The second was obviously meant only for him. His heart leapt at the few words on his screen.

"Hd an amazing weekend. C u again soon? ;) xoxo"

Grinning to himself like an idiot, he quickly replied, "Me too. And yeah, can't wait to see you again"

As soon as he hit send, he winced, wondering what she would think of a guy who only texted in full grammatically correct sentences. He couldn't help it. Texting in short forms drove him a little batty. His head jerked to the window at a sudden squeal from above him. He was startled to see that she was currently sitting in what was obviously a window seat, and staring at her phone with a delighted smile on her face.

Confused, he watched as she quickly typed something back, her crinkled eyes lit up from the glow of her phone. He stopped staring at her in amazement, when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand, surprising him enough for him to drop it. Quickly scooping it up, he looked at it to see that it was a reply from her.

Only then did it hit him. She smiled because he texted back. She was smiling at his texts! At texts from him!

He smiled goofily at his phone for a few minutes before it struck him that she was probably waiting for a reply. As soon as he hit send, he looked up at the window again, determined to see her full reaction, despite the back of his mind telling him he was probably acting like a stalker.  
>The little voice in the back of his mind immediately disappeared at the sound of her small giggle. He was interrupted in his staring at her face by the sound of the door opening and her mother's voice.<p>

"Baby girl? You still awake? It's a school night," his heart clenched at the gentle tone he couldn't recall hearing from his mother more than a handful of times in his life.

"Just about to go to sleep Mom" he heard her mumble. "Don't stay up texting Kaia too late ok?" came the reply, followed by a quick, "Or Ryan," before a suddenly girlish giggle accompanied Michelle's exclaimed, "Mom!"

The door closed and if he strained hard enough, he could hear her mother still laughing as she seemed to move down the corridor and further away from Michelle's room.

She turned back to the window and closed her eyes, seeming to draw a deep breath, before she snapped open her phone again, and quickly sent something off. He felt his phone vibrate again, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she yawned and then climbed off the window seat into her room, where he could hear her moving around. Assuming she was getting ready for bed, he quickly checked his phone, only to see, "Gnite xoxo ;)"

A tender smile on his face, he quickly replied, before phasing back to a giant wolf, and laying down under the bush that so conveniently hid him.

He was near her, and that was all that mattered right then. He refused to think of what the coming months would bring.

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><p>AN: The story is being steadily plotted out, and there is probably only one more familiar chapter with a little overlap from HATM. This is all going to be primarily Ryan and Michelle, with the other characters only making minor appearances.  
>What I thought would start out as a brief, less than ten chapters, look at another imprint couple has taken on the shape of a full story in my head.<p>

So review if you want some more!


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